Luke Pollard MP Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
On Thursday, I asked the Attorney General what steps the CPS is taking to improve prosecution rates of rape and sexual assault cases in the South West.
Last week, Devon and Cornwall Police were placed into special measures because of their failure to record crime and manage sexual offenders.
Fewer than 20 people were convicted of rape in Devon and Cornwall last year, out of 1,500 recorded offences and people are losing faith in the CPS and the police.
The Government must extend the sexual offences backlog pilot that’s in London and the North to include the South West, with a clear focus of reducing the thousand day wait for rape victims to get their justice in court.
